”For me Pride is the best opportunity to demonstrate the problems and challenges of the LGBTQ + community. It is important that community members do not feel alone at this time and we show them that despite any form of difference, we love each other.
Personally, my friends and I are preparing to attend the March of Dignity. For me, this will be the first opportunity to directly support the LGBTQ + community by actually standing on the march. Although non-public gatherings in a homophobic environment are much safer and necessary to raise public awareness, the marches held during the Pride month are no less important, at which time the community can talk about its problems even more loudly and effectively. In general, rallies and public demonstrations remain the most effective method of demanding change for the government.
In our reality, similar types of marches are used by ultra-right, pro-Russian, violent groups for their own PR and pose a real threat to human oppression. As a representative of the opposition party, I consider myself obliged to stand by the citizens in danger. At such times, we should not talk at all about whether we agree with the idea of a march – in this country everyone is equal, everyone has the right to protest. If one person decides to protest something and someone prevents it, we, people with political ambition, have an obligation, to do everything in our power to protect their right, whether we like it or not, agree or disagree with the idea and content of the protest!
For a small country like Georgia, the knowledge or professional capital of each person is vital. We should not forget that community members are also taxpayers, scholars, teachers, soldiers, teachers, store consultants, workers, politicians, journalists, and so on. LGBTQ + people are full members of society and the role of each person in building this country is crucial. Hopefully, we will understand this soon.
In all the important protests held in Georgia in recent years, be it the anti-occupation protests of June 20, the protests against the rigged elections, the protests of Basiani, Namakhvani HPP or Ninotsminda – the queer community was involved in all of them. These people are full citizens of this country and therefore, every problem that is on the agenda – severe social climate, low quality of education, occupation, poverty or other, worries us all equally. In solving problems, the involvement of each citizen is very important.
The Georgian Queer community has already shown that they are in solidarity with the problem of any group of the society and are ready to stand with them at rallies and physically fight to solve each problem – and now it is time for the whole society to respond to the LGBTQ + community with solidarity.
There is a lot of change to be done, however, in my opinion, the main problem is still education and raising public awareness. “We can talk about a lot of short-term legislative initiatives that will help the community significantly – minimum wages, affordable health care, employment policies, quotas, etc., but these are probably issues that can be widely discussed and should be reflected in the programs of political parties.”
